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Gloria Jones
Jones in 2014
Background information
Birth name	Gloria Richetta Jones
Also known as	LaVerne Ware
Born	(1945-10-19)October 19, 1945 (age 79) Cincinnati,Ohio, U.S.
Origin	Los Angeles,California, U.S.
Genres	R&B gospel glam rock
Occupations	Singer songwriter
Instruments	Vocals keyboards tambourine
Years active	1960–present
Labels	Minit Motown EMI

Gloria Richetta Jones (born October 19, 1945) is an American singer and songwriter who first found success in the United Kingdom, being recognized there as "The Queen ofNorthern Soul".^[1] She recorded the 1965 hit song "Tainted Love" and has worked in multiple genres as aMotown songwriter and recording artist, backing vocalist, and as a performer inmusicals such asHair. In the 1970s, she was a keyboardist and vocalist inMarc Bolan'sglam rock bandT. Rex. She and Bolan were also in a committed romantic relationship and had a son together.

Jones was born inCincinnati, Ohio, and moved to Los Angeles, California, at the age of seven, where she first started singing. Jones' first taste of fame came at the age of 14, when, while still at school, she formed with Frankie Kahrl andBilly Preston the successful gospel group the COGIC Singers, with whom she recorded the albumIt's a Blessing. Although she remained with the group for some four years, she soon found herself drawn into the Los Angeles pop scene.

In 1964, Jones, in her late teens, was discovered by the songwriterEd Cobb. Signing with Cobb's Greengrass Productions, sherecorded her first hitrecord, "Heartbeat Pts 1 & 2," which Cobb wrote and produced.

Shetoured the United States, performing on several American television programs, footage of which still exists. One performance occurred at a Rock and Soul show inDisneyland in the summer of 1965. "Heartbeat" became a rhythm and blues tune which was recorded later byDusty Springfield,Spencer Davis and many other artists.^[2]

By then, Jones had recorded other songs for Uptown Records, a subsidiary ofCapitol/EMI. Included among these was another Cobb-written song, "Tainted Love". So strong was Jones's following inNorthern England that she was proclaimed "The Queen of Northern Soul".^[1]

Jones also recorded an album for the Uptownlabel entitledCome Go with Me which was released in 1966. Jones studied piano, and acquired an advanced classical degree primarily in the works ofBach.^[1]

In 1968, she joined the cast ofCatch My Soul, a rock and soul version of the playOthello, which included cast membersJerry Lee Lewis,The Blossoms, andDr. John. During the summer of 1968, she performed in a play calledRevolution, at theMark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. That winter, she joined the Los Angeles cast ofHair, the musical. Eventually, she was to meetPam Sawyer, who asked her to write forMotown Records. Jones and Sawyer were amongst the second string of writers at Motown, but still wrote for such artists asGladys Knight & the Pips,Commodores,The Four Tops andThe Jackson 5.

As Jones was also initially a singer for the label, protocol demanded apseudonym, so for some of her co-writes she used the nameLaVerne Ware.^[3]

Songs that Jones worked on during this period includeThe Supremes' "Have I Lost You" (writer),Marvin Gaye andDiana Ross's "My Mistake (Was to Love You)" (writer),Junior Walker's "I Ain't Goin' Nowhere" (writer/producer) and the Four Tops' "Just Seven Numbers (Can Straighten Out My Life)" (writer). In 1970 she provided backing vocals onRy Cooder'seponymous first album. The best-known song that Jones penned was Gladys Knight and the Pips' "If I Were Your Woman", which was nominated for aGrammy in 1971. Jones left Motown at the end of 1973, following the release of her albumShare My Love.

Jones first metMarc Bolan ofT. Rex in 1969 while performing inHair (Los Angeles cast). While touring in Europe, Bolan and Jones met for the second time at the Speakeasy in London. In 1972, she was recommended byWarner Brothers' Bob Regehr to sing backing vocals behind T. Rex atWinterland in San Francisco.

Soon after joining T. Rex, Jones and Bolan became romantically involved. They had a son, Rolan Bolan (b. September 26, 1975). She sang backing vocals and playedclavinet with T. Rex from 1973 to 1977. Her rendition of "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" appears as a bonus track on T. Rex's albumBolan's Zip Gun. Jones released an album in 1976, calledVixen, which featured several songs written by Bolan, and he also was the producer for the album.^{[citation needed]}

In 1977, Jones worked with the groupGonzalez, producing several of theirsingles, and also penning thedisco hit, "Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet" for the group. She toured the UK with Gonzalez, first on theBob Marley tour, and then withOsibisa.^{[citation needed]}

She was the driver of the car, aMini 1275 GT, that struck a tree nearBarnes Common, killing Bolan at 4 a.m. on September 16, 1977, on the way back to Bolan'sRichmond property. They had been returning from an evening at a restaurant inMayfair where they had both been drinking wine.^[4] Jones was found by her brother Richard with her foot trapped beneath the clutch by the engine. Bolan was found unconscious in the passenger seat, which had been dislodged and landed in the rear of the vehicle. Jones was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. Bolan was not wearing a seat belt. Jones was conscious after the crash. Bolan, who was a passenger in the car that slammed into the tree, was pronounced dead upon arriving at hospital.^[5] Jones survived the crash but was critically injured. She sustained a broken jaw in the crash and was sent directly to the hospital in London for treatment, fighting for her life while in critical condition.^[5][4] When she recovered sufficiently to leave hospital, she was informed that Bolan's fans had looted most of their possessions from their house.^[4] She was later scheduled to appear in court in London on charges of being unfit to drive and of driving a car in a dangerous condition. However, she left the UK with her son and returned to the US before the court date, so the Coroner's Court recorded a verdict of accidental death.^[4]

Having lost her possessions, Jones moved with her son back to Los Angeles, where they stayed with Jones's family.^{[citation needed]}

In 1978, she released the albumWindstorm, which she dedicated to the memory of Bolan: the back cover reads, "Special dedication in memory of my son's father, Marc Bolan, whom we miss very much." Her single "Bring on the Love" was a success on the AmericanR&Bchart.

Jones stayed in the music industry for several years after, releasing an album produced by Ed Cobb, titledReunited in 1981. She also collaborated again withBilly Preston and other Cogic Singers for a 1984 reunion albumThe Cogic's. She has since worked as a musical supervisor for films.

On her 1982 albumReunited, she was proclaimed "Northern Queen of Soul".^[6]

In 2010, together with her son Rolan, she established the Marc Bolan School of Music & Film inMakeni,Sierra Leone.

• 1966 –Come Go with Me
• 1973 –Share My Love
• 1976 –Vixen (not released in the US)
• 1978 –Windstorm
• 1982 –Reunited
• 1996 –Vixen /Windstorm (CD release)
• 2009 –Share My Love (CD release)

• 1974 –Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow
• 1974 –Light of Love
• 1975 –Bolan's Zip Gun
• 1976 –Futuristic Dragon
• 1977 –Dandy in the Underworld

• 1966 –It's a Blessing
• 1984 –The COGIC'S

• 1973 – "Tin Can People" / "So Tired"
• 1976 – "Get It On (Part 1)" / "Get It On (Part 2)"
• 1976 – "I Ain't Going Nowhere" / "Simplicity Blues"
• 1976 – "Tainted Love" (New Version) / "Go Now" (Album Version) (12" – MAXI)
• 1977 – "To Know You Is to Love You" / "City Port" (withMarc Bolan)
• 1977 – "Go Now" (Single Version) / "Drive Me Crazy (Disco Lady)"
• 1977 – "Bring on the Love" (Single Version) / "Cry Baby"
• 1977 – "Bring on the Love" (Album Version) / "Bring on the Love" (Instrumental)
• 1978 – "When I Was a Little Girl" /"When I Was a Little Girl" (Instrumental)
• 1978 – "Windstorm" / "Blue Light Microphone"
• 1979 – "Listen to Me" / "Father I'm Coming Home" (From the v/a Double AlbumAlpha Omega)

• 1966 with Denny Brooks onDenny Brooks
• 1966 with Gary St. Clair onGary St. Clair
• 1966 withCharles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band onMusic For The Times We Live In
• 1968 withNeil Young onNeil Young
• 1968 withJackie DeShannon on "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"
• 1969 with the Brothers and Sisters of Los Angeles onDylan's Gospel
  • Gloria sings lead on "I Shall Be Released", "Chimes of Freedom", and "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight"
• 1970 withRy Cooder onRy Cooder
• 1970 with Daniel Moore onDaniel Moore
• 1971 withJesse Davis onJesse Davis
• 1971 withRy Cooder onInto the Purple Valley
• 1971 withREO Speedwagon onREO Speedwagon
• 1971 withRoy Ayers/Roy Ayers Ubiquity onHe's Coming
• 1971 with Alan Gerber onAlan Gerber Album
• 1972 withBuffy Saint Marie onMoonshot
• 1972 withElvin Bishop onRock My Soul
• 1972 withDelaney Bramlett onSome Things Coming (Heartbeat)
• 1973 withJudee Sill onHeart Food
• 1973 withLittle Feat onDixie Chicken
• 1973 withJohn Kay onMy Sportin' Life
• 1973 withMaria Muldaur onMaria Muldaur
• 1973 withJoe Cocker onJoe Cocker
• 1973 withEddie Floyd onSoul Street
• 1973 withREO Speedwagon onRidin' the Storm Out
• 1974 with Michael Edward Campbell onMichael Edward Campbell
• 1974 withThe Commodores onMachine Gun
• 1975 withMichael Masser onThe Original Soundtrack of Mahogany
• 1975 withHarry Nilsson onDuit on Mon Dei
• 1977 withBilly Preston onWhole New Thing
• 1977 withT. Rex onDandy in the Underworld
• 1978 withSteve Harley onHobo With a Grin
• 1979 withBilly Preston onLate at Night
• 1980 withLonnie Liston Smith onLove is the Answer

• List of disco artists (F-K)

• Davis, Sharon (1988).Motown – The History. Guinness Publishing Limited.ISBN 0-85112-894-7.
• Bogdanov, Vladimir (2003).All Music Guide to Soul: The Definitive Guide to R&B and Soul. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 374.ISBN 9780879307448.

• Gloria Jones atIMDb
• Jones and Bolan, 5th photo

• 1945 births
• Living people
• African-American rock musicians
• American expatriates in Sierra Leone
• American expatriates in England
• Motown artists
• Record producers from Ohio
• Singers from Cincinnati
• Northern soul musicians
• T. Rex (band) members
• American women record producers
• African-American women singer-songwriters
• American women singer-songwriters
• 20th-century African-American women singers
• 20th-century American women singers
• 20th-century American singers
• Singer-songwriters from Ohio

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